Monday, April 26, 2010

April is Cesarean Awareness Month

I have some catching up to do on the blogging front as I have been unusually busy over the last six weeks, but I want to start back on the keyboard by making a plea to everyone that is involved with 'Cesarean Awareness' during the month of April.

Could you please be equally aware of these facts:

*There are women for whom a planned cesarean delivery is their number 1 preferred birth choice - we do exist, and we are capable of making independent, informed decisions about our births.

*For many women, a cesarean birth is a fulfilling, exciting and satisfying experience.

*Many cesareans are very much WANTED by mothers - so while it may be relevant to talk in terms of necessary or unnecessary cesareans for women whose cesareans are unwanted, it is entirely irrelevant to apply these labels to all cesarean births.

*There is still a great deal of confusion and misinformation about the specific risks involved with emergency cesareans, planned cesareans for medical reasons and planned cesareans on maternal request. Mixed data provides unreliable information.

*As long as a cesarean birth takes place after the start of the 39th gestational week and the mother is planning a small family, then she should not be bombarded with risks that are associated with surgery following a prolonged trial of labor or surgery carried out prematurely for medical reasons unrelated to the surgery itself. It is neither helpful nor ethical to confuse the very different degrees of risk that are applicable to each.

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